Contents

History

In January 1975, the NASL awarded an expansion franchise to Portland, Oregon. The name was selected on March 8, 1975 from more than 3,000 entries in an open contest.[1] They began play in the 1975 season and finished the year with the league's best record. They marched through the playoffs all the way to the championship game, Soccer Bowl '75. There, they lost to another expansion team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–0. It was during this season that the Timbers endeared themselves to the City and Portland became known as "Soccer City USA". While the Timbers boasted some of the league's best fan support, they sometimes struggled on the field. After such a strong start, they missed the playoffs in 1976 and 1977. In 1978, they went to the Conference Finals before falling to the eventual champion Cosmos. The team folded at the end of the 1982 season as player salaries outpaced team revenue. These Timbers established soccer as a sport in the greater Portland area. Their legacy lives on in the current Timbers following and the many thousands who continue to play and follow the game. Many of these Timbers continued to live in the area after their playing careers and helped establish the soccer as a vital local sport.